In partnership with

Welcome to the cutting edge ⚔️ 

Read time: 7 min

Today’s Slate

This edition will be focused on the interview we did with Louis Rosenberg about the both the current state and future predictions for Artificial Intelligence and Spatial Computing. That coupled with the latest announcements at the Meta Connect event have quite a synergy for our content today.

• Louis Rosenberg Interview: Our Next Reality

• Meta Connect 2024 breakdown

Next week we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled programming and cover all the latest breakthroughs and announcements from the last two weeks.

Louis Rosenberg Interview

Our conversation covered the rapid changes happening in computing, the transition to conversational and hands-free computing, the emergence of an integrated digital-physical reality, the potential superpowers and risks of these new technologies, and the importance of haptics and policy-making to enable the benefits while mitigating the dangers.

All of these topics and more are covered in his latest book co-authored with Alvin Wang called Our Next Reality. We highly recommend you check this out as well as Peter Diamandis’ series on the future we are quickly approaching.

The Rapid Transition in Computing

Louis believes we are headed towards a world where computing becomes conversational and hands-free, with information seamlessly integrated into the physical world. Check out his story Metaverse 2030 that articulates this vision in more detail. The transition to this future is happening much faster than expected, with the Meta Ray-Ban glasses being a key product driving this change. Peter Diamandis also describes this exponential rate of change in his latest book The Future is Faster Than You Think.

One of the most interesting predictions we discussed was that by the early 2030s, more people will be wearing glasses than holding phones, as these devices enable a new mode of computing that feels more natural and intuitive. Humans are meant to interact with a 3D physical reality, so the logical next step in computing is to align more with human perception and overlay those digital elements right into our world.

Suspension of Disbelief

A key factor in the widespread adoption of these reality bending experiences is called suspension of disbelief. Louis explains this in detail in his book and we talked about how in it’s possible to fool your mind into thinking the virtual environment you’re in or objects you’re interacting with are just as real as your physical reality.

When this is broken your mind recognizes that what you’re experiencing isn’t real and breaks the immersion this industry is fighting hard to achieve. This is a hard problem to solve and keep your senses in tune with your digital reality. Both augmented and virtual reality need to solve for this for our 5 senses long term to truly feel immersed in this new spatial computing paradigm.

Superpowers and Risks of the New Reality

The new AI-powered digital reality will give us incredible superpowers, but it also brings powerful risks that require careful policy-making and regulation. These devices could become the most powerful tools of manipulation and persuasion ever created, so it is crucial to enable the benefits while protecting against the dangers. He emphasizes the need to address these issues proactively, as people will not trust or adopt these technologies if they feel they can be easily abused.

Takeaways

Louis believes this future of computing is inevitable, with a seamless integration of the digital and physical worlds combined with powerful and intuitive artificial intelligence. While this transition brings exciting possibilities, it also requires careful consideration of the risks and the development of policies to ensure these powerful technologies are used responsibly and for the benefit of humanity.

Keep an eye out in future editions for more from this interview and other conversations we have lined up to sit down with experts shaping our future!

Meta Connect 2024

Announcements

Quest 3S VR Headset

Meta announced a cheaper Quest 3S headset, replacing the Quest 2 and Quest Pro. It’s designed to make virtual reality more accessible with upgraded features at a reduced price of $299.99. The latest iteration in their line of devices the Quest 3S uses the same fresnel lenses as the Quest 2 but it has the same chips as the Quest 3. This allows the Quest 3S to have similar high quality passthrough which is a major selling point and growing ecosystem on Quest.

With the recent changes to the Store increasing the available applications and the announcement of support for more 2D apps and developers the amount of content available to users should see a nice spike on Horizon OS. Titles like Gorilla Tag have been showing significant revenue growth crossing 100 million in total which is an indication of what is possible if you create a dedicated and passionate community in VR.

Orion AR Glasses 

Meta previewed Orion, an advanced AR glasses prototype. The glasses represent Meta’s vision of the future in augmented reality, focusing on immersive, real-world integration.

Check out the specs:

• Display: Uses Micro LED projectors, 70-degree field of view—wider than other AR glasses.

• Components: Consists of glasses, a neural wristband, and a wireless compute puck.

• Control: Neural wristband uses electromyography for gestures; combines eye and hand tracking.

• Weight: Weighs 98 grams, significantly lighter than other mixed reality headsets.

• Battery: Approximately 2 hours of usage.

rpn

View more on Instagram

Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Update

Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses are gaining popularity, with updates including real-time AI video processing, live language translation, reminders, and QR code scanning. New integrations with Amazon Music, Audible, and iHeartRadio bring familiar features to users, while AI video capabilities allow users to interact with what's in front of them in real-time.

Live translation supports multiple languages, enhancing communication. Reviews highlight excitement for these advanced features, though concerns remain about their speed and practicality. Meta aims to make smart glasses a mainstream consumer device, pushing the AR glasses market forward.

Llama 3.2 AI Model 

Meta introduced Llama 3.2, their latest AI model, with advanced features like celebrity chatbot voices and AI-generated images integrated into Facebook and Instagram, showcasing an ongoing focus on AI-driven experiences. The celebrity voices include Awkwafina, John Cena, and Judi Dench. We tried this out and it was pretty interesting having a conversation with an artificial intelligence that had such recognizable voices.

It also includes vision models for recognizing images and small models for tasks like summarizing or following instructions. These models run directly on devices, ensuring privacy and faster responses. In the near future, Llama 3.2 could enable AI-powered virtual assistants to help with tasks such as generating summaries, managing reminders, or visually guiding users, all without needing constant internet access, making it practical for everyday use.

The Daily Newsletter for Intellectually Curious Readers

If you're frustrated by one-sided reporting, our 5-minute newsletter is the missing piece. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you comprehensive, unbiased news—free from political agendas. Stay informed with factual coverage on the topics that matter.

Join for free today!